the SHAW Blog

We think of the holiday season as joyous and full of happy memories, but for those who have lost a loved one, the picture may look very different. While others may be scrambling to find the perfect gift, you may be grieving the loss of your loved one and the times you spent together during the holidays. A recent article from Spiritualityhealth.com gives us several ways this year to overcome that sadness and find some healing during the holidays.

First, the article suggests creating a grief ritual. Rituals have long since been used to honor those no longer with us. Find a way to honor your loved one. Maybe through a dinner you host or through the simple lighting of a candle, find a way to pay your respect to their life while remembering all they brought to your life.

Second, respect our tears. Holding back your urge to cry is actually the unhealthiest tactic. Crying is our natural way of reducing stress and dealing with grief. Give yourself the time and space required to shed these tears.​Third, rely on your support system. These can already be trying times for most. So don’t go on this emotional rollercoaster alone. Let your support system handle some of the weight so you can have the strength to cope in a healthy manner.

Last, the article suggests using meditation and mindfulness to cope with the loss. This is the best way we have to re-engage ourselves in the present moment. Sitting down and meditating can help us clear our heads and become one with both our surroundings and situations. This could look like having a breathing practice during a particularly stressful time, or doing a simple body scan where we re-center our thoughts and realign our energies, or even an observing though practice, where we don't assign our thoughts as either negative or positive and let them just pass by.

If you are grieving the loss of a loved one this holiday season, we are here for you. Let our experts at SHAW Center for Healing join you on your path toward healing this holiday season as we journey into a new and brighter year.

The alarm sounds, snooze, it sounds again, snooze, and in my morning slumber ... I begin my day with gratitude saying softly thank you Mother Earth, Father Sun, and Higher Self for waking me up sober and not hungover, thank you for another amazing day clean, thank for the love that surrounds me, thank you for the light that shines through me, thank you...

The alarm sounds again, snooze... Time to create the day: As a thinker, speaker, doer of the highest and best intentions, I AM a dynamic, enthusiastic participant in life. Divine ideas flow through me and through my thoughts, actions, and words. I AM honest, open-minded, and willing today. I AM courageous. I am a man of my word. I AM humble. I AM self-disciplined today. I AM beautiful from the inside-out. I AM a beacon of light. I AM surround by love. I AM at peace with myself and the world. I AM love. I AM amazing.

As I crawl out of bed, I prepare myself for another day of channeling the light and love of Universe by turning on some Bach, nourishing my body with breakfast, pressing my clothes, feeding the little kitties, allowing the water of the shower to awaken my cells and connect me to the all-that-is, dressing, and softly saying goodbye to my beautiful spouse.

When I arrive at the SHAW Center for Healing, the first thing that I notice when I open the door is the beautiful light that shines through the windows. Thank you Father Sun and Mother Earth for such an incredible sacred space, I say. Thank you for another day of love, healing, and transformation.

As I prepare the space energetically, I meditate with this beautiful affirmation from Paul Selig that sits on my desk:

As I lift my light to be seen by my fellows,As I lift my worth to be received by myself,I align myself to service so that so that my gifts may be realized,So that my gifts may be shared, so that my gifts may be seen,And I may accept myself in my divine plan:A manifestation of the Creator in form, here to sing my song for the benefit of all.I know who I am, I know what I am, I know how I serve.I am Word, I am Word, I am Word.